The Revival of a Heart

by TheMessenger

Jacob's Stairway

Jacob's Stairway

Twilight followed the strange, white robed Human in silence, save for the endless echoes that rung as her hooves struck the dark marble floors with each step. The Human glided next to her noiselessly. The two hurried across the hall without a word. As they passed, torches hanging on the walls went out, leaving the path behind them completely hidden in darkness.

Passing by each dying flame, Twilight felt herself give a tiny shiver. She couldn't help shake off the feeling that her exit out of this place was disappearing as the shadows congregated and grew.

And what did the Human mean, they were going to save Ash? Was he in danger? And from what? Where was his conscious anyhow? Wasn't he still in Twilight's mind, in her library?

Like a nest of hornets, questions buzzed in and around Twilight's head but every time she opened her mouth to set one free, her jaw snapped shut and she turned her attention back on the marble path down the hallway. There was something in her companion's expression, something frightening. What mirth and humor, however cruel or inappropriate Twilight added silently, the Human had before had vanished, leaving this cold, focused being. Twilight wasn't sure which she preferred, the annoying riddler or this stoic robot.

No, not stoic, Twilight amended, stealing another glance at the Human as she trotted next to him. There was some expression on his face, of focus, of intense determination. It was something she noticed on Ash's face on occasion, like when they were looking for a transformation spell. Still, though the Human was similar to the white haired Mage, it was unsettling seeing it on her guide.

This was the expression of a man on a mission, Twilight decided. But what was his mission? Was it, as he said, to save Ash? Twilight had a hard time believing so. Something sinister then, perhaps?

Twilight was still pondering when she bumped against the back of the Human's legs. They had stopped but where they had ended up at was still a mystery for the purple Unicorn. Had the hall narrowed? It seemed so. Try as she might, she couldn't see past Ash's lookalike.

"I have nothing to gain from Ash's demise."

Twilight started. "How did you-"

"Rather," he continued, "I have everything to lose. This shrine is my home." He turned his head back over his shoulder. "What do you suppose will happen to a subconscious if the owner's gone?"

"I...well...um..."

"We want similar things, Twilight Sparkle," the Human said coldly. He took a step to the side, revealing a beaming white stairway before them. Twilight squinted her eyes but the top was beyond her sight. Whatever stood at the end was as bright as Celestia's Sun. "You want to save your friend. I want some stability." He gestured toward the steps, prompting the Unicorn. "Our goals come hand in hand. Or as you might say, hand in hoof," the Human amended with a hint of a smile. "Ladies first."

Twilight gingerly placed her hoof on the bottom step. Her caution proved futile and despite her attempts to expect the the unexpected, she failed to predict a painful pulling sensation from deep in her stomach. A second later, the pony found herself sprawled over the last couple of stairs at the top, gasping for air. She lifted her head and shielded her eyes from the intense glare of whatever was at the peak.

"You didn't think we'd actually climb all the way up, did you?" the Human asked, kneeling over the Unicorn. He didn't seem to notice the light shining behind him.

Or perhaps he was just used to it. Twilight's own eyes were already adjusting and she could soon discern a large gold box as the source. Was it the altar she had seen before?

Before she could consider it any further, Twilight was pulled up to her feet. "Come," the Human said, ignoring the dirty looks the Unicorn shot at him for his roughness. "Time is short. After all, we only have an hour before..." The Human gave Twilight a grin that filled her with both annoyance and dread. "...something happens."

Twilight wanted to argue, to snap that if they were on a short time frame, why did he waste so much time on pointless riddles? She said nothing, however. Arguing would have been a waste of time as well.

Instead, she followed the Human up the last couple of steps and onto a platform. In the center was the golden box, which Twilight finally got a good look at. It was a little larger than the pony herself. On each of the top corners were large sharp pyramids, also gold. Stripes of engraved runes that Twilight couldn't couldn't decipher decorated the sides. The edges were coated in white, of a purer gold or maybe silver or even platinum. A bundle of white cloths sat in the middle of the top.

Once more, Twilight tumbled into the Human's legs, the altar's grandiose acting as a distraction. The Human merely gave the Unicorn a sideways glance before nudging her toward the altar with his foot. He received a frightening glare that would have impressed a cockatrice in return. The sharp edges of a lecture were just off the tip of Twilight's tongue but the Unicorn managed to restrain herself. Instead, she asked, "How exactly are we saving Ash?"

"You'll see." He pointed at the altar. "You will see."

Twilight had expected nothing less cryptic but the lack of an answer gnawed at her like a ravenous dog to a bone. The image was disturbing and Twilight quickly substituted it with Spike chewing through a ruby...

The Human clear his throat impatiently. Twilight took the hint and began to examine the golden table more intently. Perhaps these runes were some sort of clue but a clue to what?

The Unicorn turned her attention to the dirty bundle of cloths in the center. It seemed out of place, sitting on top of regal gold, but there was nothing else notable about the rags. Carefully, Twilight leaned forward, her hooves on the edge of the alter.

She gasped and fell backwards. Did the cloths just squeak?

Twilight looked back to the Human. He nodded and gestured to the bundle of cloths. "Go on," he encouraged. "It shouldn't bite."

The Unicorn got back up and and stood on her hind legs, using the altar and her forelegs to prop herself up. The pile stirred despite the lack of wind.

A light magenta glow blanketed the cloths as Twilight cautiously extended her magical grip over them. Taking a deep breath, she separated the rags. What was revealed extracted another gasp from Twilight.

A small Human laid before her eyes, huddled into a ball, smaller than even Twilight herself. With the remaining rags it tried to hide its nakedness for it wore neither garments or fur. Even the top of its head was bare save for a few tufts and strands of black and brown hair. At the sound of Twilight's gasp, it whimpered and tried to shifted away, shivering as it did so.

"Wh-what is that?" Twilight breathed.

The Human stood next to her and looked down at the little thing with disdain. "That," he said, "is Ash. Oh no, not physically," he added as Twilight gave him a bewildered glare. "Not even perhaps consciously."

Twilight's confusion grew. "Then what do you mean?"

The Human sighed. "Ash has as much control over his emotions as a child. He just prefers to lock them up in here, letting them fight and storm in his heart. The proud fool, he thought creating this wretched child and shoving it here with me would make him seem tough, like a man." He grabbed the little Human by the ankle and hung it upside down as it cried. "The stupid little orphan," he said cooly, "with no friends, no name, refusing to cry out loud...so he cries in here..."

"Stop it!" Twilight screamed. "You're hurting him!"

"I'm doing nothing Ash hasn't already," the Human said but stopped shaking the child and set it back on the altar. Its sobs subsided.

"Why are you showing me this?" Twilight asked. "What do you want from me?"

The Human sighed. "Something has happened. Something has changed. Its cries become less bearable every moment. Already they have leaked into Ash's dreams. Guilt, fear, things he tried hiding away are manifesting, twisting and eating him away. You've seen the visions before and only of the tamest, Twilight Sparkle. You know what I am talking about."

"But what can I do? I tried helping Ash with his nightmares and that's what started this entire mess."

"Do you want to help Ash?" the Human demanded.

"Of course I-"

"Then listen to me; you have the power to help him. The reason Ash didn't want your help was because of his pride. Accepting your help would be admitting that he was too weak, that he couldn't handle some as small as a little emotional turmoil and a few resulting nightmares. You have ability and I will provide the guidance..."

He turned and pointed beyond the altar. Twilight followed his gaze as a path leading further appeared.

"Follow the path. Destroy what's at the end...go."

Twilight gulped. "Are you sure?"

"There is no time for doubts. Go!"

The Unicorn walked around the gold altar and stood before the path, also made of gold. She looked over her shoulder. The Human gave her a nod of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Twilight began to gallop across the golden road. Each step resonated like a bell chime.

It hadn't taken long for Twilight to reach the end. She could still see the altar and the Human. Its brightness contrasted with her new location. The only source of light here was a dimly lit wax candle. Even by the light, Twilight could make out very little of her surroundings.

There was a wooden table in the center, a simple wooden table. Here the candle sat, dripping wax. The only other notable thing was the black tapestry that hung directly in front of her. No details, no scenes, no colors or shapes. Just a wall of darkness.

Seeing nothing else and having exhausted her interest in the table, Twilight approached the woven shadow. If it weren't for the loose strands at the bottom, Twilight would mistake the tapestry as part of the darkness around her. She picked up a strand.

These little ends always bothered her for some reason. As a filly, Twilight ruined more than one sweater and quilt after finding a loose end and yanking it out. Twilight pulled.

Odd, Twilight didn't remember pulling on it that hard. Yet even as she considered this, the end of tapestry unraveled. An accumulating pile of black string grew at the bottom. Twilight tried tossing her end into the pile as well but to her surprise, the string had somehow tied itself around her hoof. She brought up her other hoof to untie it and froze as she noticed how a dark piece of string made its way around that hoof as well.

Twilight tried backing away but tripped. Her legs were tangled in a web of darkness which seemed to tighten the more she struggled. The heap of unraveled string grew larger and closer.

When cords made their way around Twilight's neck, she began to scream. Her horn lit up for a second but the light was lost beneath the sea of blackness, as were her cries for help.

The candle flickered, almost going out. There was no sign of the Unicorn. The only things that could be found were the table and the black tapestry that hung directly before it.

"Will she be alright?" the child asked softly.

The Human looked onto the child with disgust but his expression softened. He gave him a light pat on the head and set the child onto his back. Producing a clean sheet from his robes, the Human tucked the child in.

"For your sake...our sake...pray for her success..."

Comments

[Beat Rush]

Good as always, but why update so slow?

[TheMessenger]

1974546

School I get about an hour a night to write and I'm working on a To the Moon crossover too. Sorry for the lack of activity...

[Beat Rush]

1975294 np